حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ أَبِي كَرِيمَةَ الْحَرَّانِيُّ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحِيمِ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي زَيْدُ بْنُ أَبِي أُنيْسَةَ، عَنْ زيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: خَيْرُ مَا يُخَلِّفُ الرَّجُلُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ ثَلَاثٌ: وَلَدٌ صَالِحٌ يَدْعُو لَهُ، وَصَدَقَةٌ تَجْرِي يَبْلُغُهُ أَجْرُهَا، وَعِلْمٌ يُعْمَلُ بِهِ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ

قَالَ: أَبُو الْحَسَنِ، وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو حَاتِمٍ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَزِيدَ بْنِ سِنَانٍ الرَّهَاوِيُّ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ سِنَانٍ، يَعْنِي أَبَاهُ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي زَيْدُ بْنُ أَبِي أُنَيْسَةَ، عَنْ فُلَيْحِ بْنِ سُلَيْمَانَ، عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَذَكَرَ نَحْوَهُ

Book 0: The book of the sunnah
Chapter 20: The reward of one who teaches the people

Ḥadīth [241]: ‘Abdullāh bin Abī Qatādah narrated that his father (may Allāh be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allāh (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said: “The best things that a man can leave behind are three: A righteous son who will pray for him, ongoing charity whose reward will reach him, and knowledge which is acted upon after his death.”

Another chain with similar meaning.

a) Children, both sons and daughters, are the priceless gifts of Allāh. The best way to pay one’s thanks to Allāh for these gifts is to give the children good education and breeding, so that they grow into good Muslims and useful members of the society.
b) ‘Ongoing charity’ means doing things whose benefit endures for a long period of time. For instance, it is an act of ongoing charity to make provision of water to the people in a place of scarcity. Another example would be the teaching of the skills of a trade of profession to an unemployed person, so that he is able to earn his livelihood through lawful means.
c) Teaching a branch of knowledge to someone or doing some useful scholarly work, is also an act of virtue whose reward shall endure. Works compiled by the scholars of aḥādīth and other scholars also fall in that category; their reward shall also continue to flow to the compilers as long as the people keep benefiting by them.

• Reference: [241 (1/231-232), Sunan ibn Mājah, Dārussalām (Eng)]

• Ṣaḥīḥ at-Targhīb (79 (1/143))
• Ṣaḥīḥ at-Targhīb (113 (1/156))
• Ṣaḥīḥ ibn Ḥibbān (93 (1/295))
• Ṣaḥīḥ ibn Ḥibbān (4902 (11/266))
• Ṣaḥīḥ ibn Khuzaymah (2495 (3/114))
• Nasā’ī’s Sunan al-Kubrā (10863 (9/400))
• Al-Mu’jam al-‘Awsaṭ (3472 (4/7-8/)
• Al-Mu’jam aṣ-Ṣagḥīr (395 (1/298-299))
• Kanzul ‘Ummāl (43659 (15/953))
• Al-Jāmi’ aṣ-Ṣaghīr [Suyūṭī] (4084 (1/248-249))
• Ṣaḥīḥ al-Jāmi’ (3326 (1/628))

Grade:

• Ṣaḥīḥ by Shaykh al-Albānī (Sunan ibn Mājah)
• Ṣaḥīḥ by Imām as-Suyūṭī (Al-Jāmi’ aṣ-Ṣaghīr)
• Ṣaḥīḥ isnād by Shaykh Shu’ayb al-Arna’ūṭ (Sunan ibn Mājah & Ṣaḥīḥ ibn Ḥibbān)
• Ḥasan by Ḥāfiẓ Zubayr ‘Alī Za’ī (Sunan ibn Mājah)